There are presently known, as indicated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,032,868 and 5,010,366, methods for reproducing slides transparencies, microfilm, images projected onto a board surface and conventional documents. These methods, however, do not have dedicated optical systems for each type of reproduction being performed. Therefore, components used in an optical system for one type of reproduction must also be used for another type of reproduction. Without dedicated optical systems for each type of reproduction, the shared optical components for directing light from the image to be reproduced, be it projected or reflected, cannot be optimized for reproduction since they must be compatible for use with at least two different image projections or reflections. With the foregoing being the case, the shared components must be compromised to obtain reproductions that can be characterized as acceptable, as opposed to optimal, for each type of reproduction.
In the past when using separate paths to transmit light, from an image to be reproduced, to a single electronic scanning camera, for reproduction of the image, large openings existed in the electronic scanning camera housing to accommodate the necessary lenses, image pickup devices and mirrors. These large openings imp-acted upon the structural integrity of the housing and allowed debris to enter the housing through said openings. The debris problem and the compromise of structural integrity resulted in poor quality reproductions and frail housings.